< Genesis 19 >

1 Now the two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them, bowed facedown,
And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;
2 and said, “My lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant; wash your feet and spend the night. Then you can rise early and go on your way.” “No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”
And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and all of you shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.
3 But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house.
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
5 They called out to Lot, saying, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have relations with them!”
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to you this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
6 Lot went outside to meet them, shutting the door behind him.
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
7 “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!
And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
8 Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them to you, and you can do to them as you please. But do not do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”
Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do all of you to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
9 “Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.
And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will essentially be a judge: now will we deal worse with you, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
10 But the men inside reached out, pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door.
11 And they struck the men at the entrance, young and old, with blindness, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the door.
And they stroke the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
12 Then the two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—a son-in-law, your sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here,
And the men said unto Lot, Have you here any besides? son in law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whatsoever you have in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 because we are about to destroy this place. For the outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it.”
For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is becoming great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.
14 So Lot went out and spoke to the sons-in-law who were pledged in marriage to his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
15 At daybreak the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.”
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take your wife, and your two daughters, which are here; lest you be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16 But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.
And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17 As soon as the men had brought them out, one of them said, “Run for your lives! Do not look back, and do not stop anywhere on the plain! Flee to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for your life; look not behind you, neither stay you in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest you be consumed.
18 But Lot replied, “No, my lords, please!
And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my LORD:
19 Your servant has indeed found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life. But I cannot run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die.
Behold now, your servant has found grace in your sight, and you have magnified your mercy, which you have showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:
20 Look, there is a town nearby where I can flee, and it is a small place. Please let me flee there—is it not a small place? Then my life will be saved.”
Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.
21 “Very well,” he answered, “I will grant this request as well, and will not demolish the town you indicate.
And he said unto him, See, I have accepted you concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which you have spoken.
22 Hurry! Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you reach it.” That is why the town was called Zoar.
Haste you, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till you be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.
23 And by the time the sun had risen over the land, Lot had reached Zoar.
The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar.
24 Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25 Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.
And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
27 Early the next morning, Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD.
And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:
28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.
29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.
And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.
30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains—for he was afraid to stay in Zoar—where they lived in a cave.
And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us, as is the custom over all the earth.
And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
32 Come, let us get our father drunk with wine so we can sleep with him and preserve his line.”
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
33 So that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the firstborn went in and slept with her father; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let us get him drunk with wine again tonight so you can go in and sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.”
And it came to pass on the next day, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay last night with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go you in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
35 So again that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.
And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose.
36 Thus both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father.
Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.
37 The older daughter gave birth to a son and named him Moab. He is the father of the Moabites of today.
And the first born bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.
And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

< Genesis 19 >